DTE to shut coal plants, cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

(Reuters) - U.S. energy company DTE Energy Co said on Tuesday it will build more natural gas and renewable power plants and shut all of its coal units by 2040, reducing carbon emissions by more than 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050.

The Trenton Channel Power Plant, a coal-fired electricity plant operated by DTE Energy, is seen in Trenton south of Detroit, Michigan, U.S. April 2, 2017. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

“We have concluded that not only is the 80 percent reduction goal achievable – it is achievable in a way that keeps Michigan’s power affordable and reliable,” DTE’s chairman and chief executive officer, Gerry Anderson, said in a statement.

Detroit-based DTE said its efforts to cut carbon emissions will result in a 30 percent reduction by the early 2020s, 45 percent by 2030, 75 percent by 2040 and more than 80 percent by 2050.

The company said it will achieve these reductions by adding more renewable energy, transitioning its 24/7 power sources from coal to gas and continuing to operate its zero-emission Fermi 2 nuclear power plant.

DTE said it would retire its last two Michigan coal plants, the 1,270-megawatt Belle River in 2030 and the 3,066-MW Monroe in 2040.